Salad - Tomato Cucumber and More!

Recipe Inspiration Sources:  
Tastes Better From Scratch
Sherry Wilson
The Blond Cook

Basic Recipe

I had this salad at The Dillard House in Dillard, GA last week and fell in love.  I searched online for recipes similar to what I had tasted and found bunches of them.  I looked at a number of them to make sure I wasn't missing some wonderful variation.  What I have here is a combination of several of the ones I saw.




  • cups cherry tomatoes , halved
  • cucumbers, cut into 1/4'' coins or chunks
  • 2 T red onions , diced - other onions will work
  • 3 t olive or grape seed oil
  • 1 t red wine or apple cider vinegar (other vinegars will work as well)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2 T fresh basil leaves , chopped
  • 2 T or more sugar (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp dill weed (optional)

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:

  • parsley
  • minced garlic
  • red pepper flakes also add a little pep to the dish


Cut cherry tomatoes in half and cut your cucumbers into 1/4” coins and add them to a bowl.  Then, drizzle olive oil and vinegar on top, toss the salad, and season it will red onion and basil.  It’s that easy!

Advice on cucumbers:  Any type of cucumber will work for this salad, but my family prefers mini or English cucumbers because the small discs are crunchy and fun to eat!  My general rule of thumb is that when the cucumber is one of the stand out ingredients in the dish, an English cucumber is the right one to buy.

Another Recipe that includes Corn

Recipe Inspiration Source:  The Blond Cook




Warmer weather is here and I'm in the mood for side salads.  I found this one on Pinterest and thought it looked good.  As always, I looked at a number of similar recipes for variations, so my list of ingredients shows a number of options, but not all amounts.  Salads like these never seem to require an exact amount of anything to be good.

Suggested Main Ingredients

  • corn - fresh, frozen (thawed) or canned (well drained)
  • tomatoes
  • cucumber, large seeds removed - Some recipes don't use these
  • red onions, sliced

Sauce Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil - can I omit this?
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice - lemon would probably do in a pinch
  • 1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (more or less, to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper (more or less, to taste)
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro
  • maple syrup

Kick It Up Options
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
  • 1/3 cup chopped red onion

Combine all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes to allow flavors to mingle before serving.



Add these ingredients for a bit of Mexican flair -

  • Black beans
  • Bell Pepper
  • Avocado
  • Cumin
  • Chili Powder


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